Vegetable Garden - Yellow Squash and Zucchini
Give the Summer Squash Some Room!
This is the first summer I grew yellow squash and zucchini from seed and transplanted them in five-gallon containers. Boy, do they need room! I was surprised how big the plant and leaves grow. I don't know what I was thinking when I decided to grow ten plants of each. Only that I love yellow squash and zucchini and would never tire of cooking and eating them. Also, I wasn't sure how many would grow on each plant and how often I could harvest them. They basically took over my whole garden. I realized I only needed about two plants each per person. Now I know how much to plant for next year.
Summer Crookneck Yellow Squash
This yellow squash keeps producing all summer long!
Growing Tips
Easy to grow
From seed to harvest is about two months
Needs full sun and a lot of ROOM to grow.
Plant anytime from Spring to early Fall
One seed grows one plant with many zucchini or yellow squash
Can grow one or two plants per person
Can start seed indoors and transplant
Plant them about three feet apart in the garden
Plant needs at least eight inches deep for roots to grow
Plant one plant in a five gallon container
Harvest when squash is about six to eight inches long
Fertilize once a month
Summer Fordhook Zucchini
The zucchini takes a little longer to grow the vegetable than the yellow squash. But it is well worth the wait. They are delicious!
Here are some tips on cooking yellow squash and zucchini.
You can saute them in a pan with olive oil and onions.
You can roast them with a little oil and parmesan cheese or your favorite seasonings.
You can bake stuffed zucchini boats.
Dice and add them in soups.
Yellow Squash and Zucchini with Onions
Ingredients
2 fresh Yellow Squash - thick sliced
1 or 2 fresh Zucchini - thick sliced
1 large Onion - medium thick sliced
2 or 3 cloves Garlic - minced or thin sliced
4 Tbsp Olive Oil
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste
Optional - Grated Parmesan Cheese
Directions for cooking in pan on stovetop:
In a pan, heat oil. You can add more olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. On medium heat, add the sliced onions and garlic. Cook until onions are translucent and somewhat soft.
Add the sliced yellow squash in the pan. Cook for 5 or 10 minutes. The yellow squash takes a little longer to cook than zucchini.
Then add the sliced zucchini. Cook for about 5 or 10 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. The onions should be browned and caramelized by now.
Now add the salt and pepper to taste and serve. You can serve it with grated parmesan cheese.
Directions for roasting in oven:
Heat oven 400 degrees. In the roasting pan, add the yellow squash, zucchini, onions, and garlic. Add salt and pepper. Pour the oil over vegetables and mix well.
Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.
You can top with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese before roasting or before serving.
Additional Tips:
For cooked, soft onions and you don’t want them to get browned while cooking with the vegetables; I personally prefer them not browned.
When the onion and garlic are cooked and soft, you can take them out of the pan and set aside. Then cook the vegetables. After they are done, then add the cooked onion back in the pan with the vegetables to reheat.
Sometimes I’ll cook a batch of sliced onions with garlic and olive oil ahead of time and refrigerate them until I’m ready to use them. I always like to keep a container of cooked onions in the fridge to save time. I’ll use them for omelets, for cooking with sausage and green peppers, for topping on burgers, for adding to sautéed mushrooms, for topping on grilled steak, etc.
